The average price of a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline in Southern California has dropped in most Southland counties Friday. In Los Angeles County, the average price is $3.58, its lowest amount since Dec. 27, 2011.

Commerce could be brought to a near standstill at major ports from Boston to Houston if the strike takes place on Sunday, potentially delivering a big blow to retailers and manufacturers still struggling to find their footing in a weak economy.

Magnitsky case: Putin signs Russian ban in US adoptions - BBC Russian president Vladimir Putin has signed a bill banning Russian adoptions to the U.S. Russia is one of the top three foreign countries from which U.

FilmWeek

Guest host David Lazarus is joined by KPCC film critics Henry Sheehan from dearhenrysheehan.com and Lael Loewenstein from Variety to review the week’s new film releases including Promised Land, Parental Guidance and more. Plus, the critics and David look back at the films of 2012 to highlight the best overlooked films of the year. TGI-FilmWeek!

Star wattage and marquee value are all well and good, but what truly brings reality to the screen? The loss this week of Jack Klugman and Charles Durning reminds us of how important great character actors are to the history of film.

As robotic technology becomes more ubiquitous in the fields of defense and medicine, it’s natural to see the same advanced programming in day-to-day life. What kind of changes would a robot like Roboy bring?

Amid all the talk of the looming fiscal cliff — the tax cuts which will go into effect with potential drastic effects if Congress can't come to a compromise to avert them— we have a voice of optimism today, and a call to take the long view on political deadlines.

A record-breaking petition is asking the Obama Administration to label the Westboro Baptist Church as a hate group. With over 280,000 signatures in two weeks, it's one of the fastest growing petitions ever on a site created just over a year ago by the White House.

L.A. Times columnist James Rainey and The Guardian’s U.S. Finance and Economics editor Heidi Moore will discuss the big headlines of the last year, including the winners and losers in politics, economics and media.

Usually when sports teams go retro with their uniforms, for fans it brings back fond memories of a simpler time. The Atlanta Braves baseball team has tuned the clock back on the logo for their batting practice caps but in a surprising and some say, racist way.

When it comes to who we vote for to represent us, we all face some limitations. Most of us work long hours, raising kids and doing all the little things that make up a normal day. Around Election Day, you're expected to keep the hectic schedule going and be up every ballot measure, congressional race and figure out who should be the next president? Good luck.

The Centers for Disease Control used to study the relationship between guns and violence as a matter of public health, but their efforts were curtailed by Congress in 1996 after gun rights advocates accused them of using their research for political purposes, not science.